The world around her shimmered oddly, unfamiliar yet not terrifying. A narrow stone-paved road stretched through the middle of the dreamscape, vanishing into mist on either side. And there, crouching low in the middle of that road, was a man.
He was tall—easily over six feet, with a broad, muscular frame that looked almost carved from stone. His face was hidden, blurred by the haze of the dream, but Kaya could see the gentleness in his hands. He was tending to a small, injured rabbit, carefully applying some kind of medicine to its wounded paw.
It wasn't just the act that startled her—it was the way he leaned close, speaking softly, as if the rabbit could understand him. Stranger still, the little creature twitched its ears, almost as though responding. When he finished, the man gave it a light pat on the head, and the rabbit hopped around him with newfound energy, radiating simple joy.
